The Ghosts of Aquinnah review

Blurb:

A brilliant flash of light transcends through time.

Another freezes a cloaked figure within a frame of salty mist as waves crash against a rocky shore. Her harrowing expression shadows the beacon to a pinprick.

By the next blaze, she is gone. Only the lighthouse remains.

Hannah’s eyes blink in step with each heartbeat. Images of her deceased parents and Martha’s Vineyard explode like firecrackers inside her mind.

She shakes her head.

For weeks this eerie woman dressed in nineteenth century garb has been haunting my webcam, but tonight she stared into my soul.

Why? ...

Who is she? ...

Casting aside months of research on historic lighthouses, Hannah drives to the coast and boards a ferry.

What is the strange connection she has to this mysterious woman suspended in time?

Hannah finds out.

But, it’s not at all what she expects ...

Hannah unravels a century old murder.

My review:
Researching a story on Martha's Vineyard, Hannah spots a strangely dressed woman out alone at night one of the of the lighthouse webcams. She sees this apparition more than once and cannot resist the call. Hannah travels to discover who this mystery woman is and why she's reaching out to her. Yet she hasn't been back to Martha's Vineyard since her parents' deaths. What will Hannah find when she digs into the past? Something much more than an unsolved murder awaits her.

A marvelously written story with tremendous atmosphere and characterization. One of the author's strengths is setting. The little details that were wonderfully New England helped draw the reader into the story. Even with the story told from two different time periods, I never felt lost or thrown back and forth.

The plot was carried by an amazing cast of characters. I especially sympathized with Stella and Christopher. I loved their sweet banter. And even the few characters that I loathed, they had layers to them that made them more than flat villains.

Two stories from different times woven together with elegance and emotion.

Buy The Ghosts of Aquinnah at:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords ~ Ink Smith Publishing

Author Bio: Julie Flanders is a novelist and freelance writer in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a life-long love affair with the ocean and has spent more summer vacations than she can count on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. When not writing, Julie can be found reading, cheering on her favorite sports teams, and watching too much television. She is an animal lover and shares her home with her dog and cat.

Find Julie at:

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads